Last weekend must have been fantastic for Malaysian K-Pop fans because two South Korean boy groups had held their concerts in town, back to back.
And they’re two of the biggest male K-Pop acts today, no less!
Signed under YG Entertainment, iKON and Winner had rocked Stadium Malawati Shah Alam last Saturday and Sunday respectively, sharing a stage design but presenting totally different content and vibe.
For the uninitiated, trainees under YG had competed in the reality show WIN: Who Is Next back in 2013. The group Team A emerged champion so they got to debut first, namely as Winner.
Team B however had to compete with other YG trainees in another reality show Mix & Match which finalised the members for the next debuting group, iKON.
So even though they had started out at the same place, both acts eventually crafted their own identity, sound and fanbase in the K-Pop industry.
I was lucky to have been able to attend both concerts organised by MacpiePro. They were as different as night and day, but in a good way.
RED HOT
Of the two, iKON is hot and exudes a badass vibe, partly thanks to the colour red, which it is always associated with.
Its concert, as part of its Continue Tour, opened with three earth-shaking songs, Bling Bling, Sinosijak and Rhythm Ta, complete with pyrotechnics and red-tinted stage lights.
Followed by Cocktail and Only You, the performance of the seven iKON members — B.I, Bobby, Jay, June, DK, Song and Chan — was impressive with their incredible energy and booming live vocals.
The party atmosphere continued with songs including Anthem, B-Day, Killing Me, Dumb & Dumber and Freedom.
The group’s rappers, B.I and Bobby, turned up the heat with their solo tracks One And Only and Holup! respectively.
Fans, who naturally call themselves Ikonic, were blown away because this was iKON: Powerful, lively and just plain crazy.
However, the members also have a softer side, which they showcased through the mid-tempo songs My Type, Rubber Band, Everything and Goodbye Road.
There were even slower tracks such as Just For You (a song they produced for Ikonic) and Adore You.
My all-time favourite, the engaging ballad Perfect, was performed by the group’s vocalists, DK, June, Jay, Song and Chan.
During the talk segment, the members showcased their goofy side.
Jay, in particular, was overflowing with “aegyo” (cute display of affection) and it sent fans screaming.
The cherry on top was the performance for the cheerful song Best Friend which they showcased with adorable choreography while B.I put on a Tweety Bird pyjamas.
It was Bobby and Jay who mostly spoke to the audience in English. The former was the more fluent since he had lived in Virginia when he was younger.
I was impressed because this was the first K-Pop concert that I’ve been to where no Korean translator was on standby.
Besides Bobby and Jay, the others held their own and jumped in whenever they could. I felt that their effort made the concert more personal for fans.
Anyway, the song performance that everyone was waiting for was iKON’s phenomenal chart-topper, Love Scenario.
Fun fact: It was so popular in South Korea that even kindergarteners were singing it. However, it was banned from being played in kindergartens simply because parents were sick of hearing their children singing it. Haha!
SLEEK AND COOL
If iKON is hot, red and badass, Winner is cool, blue and charming. While iKON is known for hip-hop-heavy tracks, Winner’s songs lean towards R&B and alternative pop genres.
Winner's discography is known for its laidback tempo so fans (called Inner Circles) usually sing along at concerts, making it even more enjoyable.
Part of Winner's Everywhere Tour, the concert showcased the talents of vocalists Yoon and Jinu, as well as rappers Hoony and Mino, and they carried their tunes effortlessly from the start.
Complementing the singing were simple yet sleek dance moves, with the boys accompanied on stage by perky female dancers.
Overall, their performance was more on the chill side but it was not at all boring! The appeal lay instead in the members’ vocals rather than an elaborate presentation of talent.
Winner opened the show with Empty, Air, Hello and Everyday dressed in blue-themed outfits (I want their jackets!) and bathed in blue light.
As this was its first solo concert in town, Malaysian fans went wild at the sight of the handsome boys on stage.
Also performed that night were the mid-tempo songs Special Night, Don't Flirt and Luxury, and ballads We Were, For and Raining.
Jinu and especially Yoon showed off their vocal chops while Hoony and Mino rapped in their charismatic yet charming way. Needless to say, all four boys sent fans swooning.
The crowd favourites were the songs Love Me Love Me, Movie Star, Island, Immature and La La.
But the most celebrated song of the night was Really Really, one of the biggest hits in South Korea last year.
Even non-fans would agree that it is super catchy. At the concert, fans sang along, loud and proud.
The members also had their solo stages. Mino performed his solo tracks Body and Turn Off The Light; Jinu belted out labelmate G-Dragon’s ballad Untitled 2014; Yoon sang It Rains and Instinctively (his solo numbers from before he debuted in Winner); while Hoony performed his solo song Serenade and labelmate Taeyang’s hit Ringa Linga.
Yoon has a distinctive voice, so his brief cover of John Legend’s All Of Me really hit the spot. As there was no music accompaniment, his vocals reverberated around the stadium. Chills!
As I wasn’t really familiar with Winner's repertoire, the highlight for me was definitely the video of a skit that was shown. It depicted four small boys who daydreamt about what they would do if they found a treasure chest. The Winner members acted as the older version of the boys.
The plot was hilarious and the audience roared with laughter especially when Yoon effectively portrayed a nagging mum in one scene.
It’s great to see that behind their macho front, these boys are jokers at heart and they’re not ashamed to show a different persona.
Like iKON, Winner didn’t have a translator. Yoon, the most fluent of the four, did most of the talking.
Some of their lines were cheesy, for example, “Our tour title was decided on our desire to go everywhere where our fans will be waiting for us.”
Also, “At the same time we get to experience many cultures in different cities, making many special memories while we’re on tour.”
It was obvious that they were reading from a prompter, so Yoon revealed sheepishly, “We prepared the script because we just wanted to communicate with you better.” Aww!
I'm sure any K-Pop fan will appreciate the effort.
